When Litterbugs Spoil the Floating Party

NEW BRAUNFELS, Texas—It may have been the last toast to a longtime Texas tradition—floating down a meandering river here with a can of Lone Star beer in hand.

Thousands of visitors crammed into the drought-depleted Comal River in central Texas over Labor Day weekend, potentially the last major holiday when they will be allowed to haul six-packs as they float along on inner tubes. Because of the large amount of trash these tubing enthusiasts leave behind, the city council in this Hill Country town some 50 miles southwest...